Van Oord to build Belgium’s largest offshore wind project

Van Oord has signed a contract with Norther for the Balance of Plant works for the Norther offshore wind farm, located 23 km off the Zeebrugge coast in Belgium. With a maximal capacity of 370 MW, Norther is set to become Belgium’s largest offshore wind project. After completion it will deliver renewable energy to 400,000 households.

The use of wind energy is increasing rapidly, especially in north western Europe, driven by concerns about global warming, together with the aim of reducing the consumption of fossil fuels. Van Oord is at the forefront of projects that can be labelled as sustainable additions to the world. The Norther offshore wind farm will contribute significantly to Belgium meeting its target of generating 13% of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2020.

The Van Oord activities encompass the engineering, procurement, supply and installation of the 44 WTG foundations, the Offshore High Voltage Station and the inter-array and export cables, and the installation of the turbines. For the transport and installation of the foundations and turbines Van Oord intends to deploy its offshore installation vessel Aeolus and cable-laying vessel Nexus. The construction will start in 2018.

“As one of the leading marine contractors we have completed several prominent offshore wind projects in the past fifteen years. We have also made large investments by adding the world’s most advanced offshore wind equipment, such as installation vessel Aeolus and cable laying vessel Nexus, to our fleet. Thanks to our dedicated people, innovative solutions and specialised equipment we can contribute in making offshore wind a common form of sustainable energy,” Pieter van Oord, CEO said.

Dennis Sanou, Norther Project Director: ‘Project Norther and its shareholders Elicio, Eneco and Mitsubishi Corporation are proud to conclude that after a long period of intense preparation and thanks to all parties involved we have been able to achieve financial close. We are sure that the construction and commissioning of Norther in 2018 and 2019 will be a successful endeavour with reliable and experienced partners as Van Oord.’